English Skills Emerging as a Critical Employability Benchmark in The Age of AI, Say Educators at Cambridge Conference

BusinessWire India
New Delhi [India], August 3: Cambridge University Press & Assessment hosted the Cambridge English Leadership Conference (CELC) 2026 across 11 cities in India, Colombo, and Kathmandu. The event brought together principals, school leaders and English educators to discuss how schools can prepare learners for success in an increasingly AI-enabled world. The conference discussed the importance of delivering AI with expert human oversight, along with how learner-centred classrooms, effective assessment, data-driven feedback, and strong foundations in communication can help students thrive academically and professionally.
The discussions come at a time when English proficiency is increasingly recognised as a critical employability skill. Findings from a recent Cambridge survey of nearly 1,900 college students across India found that almost 100% consider English as important for securing a good job, while 30% identified English skills and confidence as a key barrier to employment. More than half (57%) reported that they do not feel fully prepared for placements. As the same students identify core skill gaps in comprehension and confidence as barriers, over 80% of students focus on three add-ons: technical/industry certifications, internships or real-world projects, and English language certification.
The findings underscore the critical role schools play in building the language and communication skills that learners will depend on throughout higher education and their careers. In India's linguistically diverse professional landscape, English also often serves as a common language across regions, enabling collaboration between people from different linguistic backgrounds and supporting access to national and global workplaces. Building confidence and proficiency early therefore has significance beyond academic performance. It can shape how effectively young people participate in higher education, professional networks and the wider economy.
Complementing these findings, another study by Cambridge University and the British Council shows that strengthening English proficiency need not come at the expense of India's multilingual reality. Insights from the MultiEd study, a collaborative research initiative across government schools in Delhi and Assam, found that strategically using learners' home and regional languages alongside English improved reading comprehension, classroom participation and learner confidence, without negatively affecting English learning outcomes. The study demonstrates that multilingual pedagogy can strengthen English-medium education by helping learners better understand concepts while progressively building English proficiency. As schools implement the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the findings offer a practical, evidence-based approach to improving learning outcomes while embracing India's rich linguistic diversity.
Educators at the conference highlighted that the foundations of effective communication are developed throughout a learner's school journey. Strong capabilities in Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing not only support academic achievement but also help learners build confidence, think critically, collaborate effectively and adapt to rapidly evolving educational and workplace environments. Participants also discussed the importance of creating immersive English learning environments that encourage learners to actively use the language both inside and outside the classroom. Schools that integrate English across classroom interactions, collaborative projects, presentations and extracurricular activities often provide learners with more opportunities to develop fluency, confidence and real-world communication skills. In such environments, English is embedded across the wider learning experience rather than taught solely as a subject.
While AI technologies are getting embedded in education and work, participants of the survey highlighted that students need more than access to information. Strong capabilities in Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing (remain essential to help learners interpret information, think critically, ask meaningful questions, collaborate effectively and communicate with confidence.
Reinforcing the need to build communication as a critical skill for academic success and employability, Arun Rajamani, Managing Director, South Asia, Cambridge University Press & Assessment said, "As AI becomes part of everyday learning, the ability to communicate, analyse and think critically becomes even more important. These are skills that are built progressively throughout a child's school journey and are rooted in strong foundations in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Our research shows that students recognise the importance of English for future employment, yet many continue to face challenges with confidence and communication. This reinforces the need for schools to focus not only on teaching English as a subject, but on developing measurable language proficiency that supports academic success, employability and lifelong learning."
Arunachalam TK, Country Head - English, South Asia, "Across South Asia, we are seeing growing demand from schools, parents and learners for internationally benchmarked evidence of language proficiency. The conversation is shifting from teaching English as a subject to developing real-world communication skills that students can use with confidence. By combining effective teaching, meaningful assessment and clear progression pathways, schools can equip learners with the language capabilities needed to thrive in higher education, employment and an increasingly interconnected world."
Participants also discussed the growing importance of benchmarking language proficiency against internationally recognised standards. Educators explored how schools can move beyond subjective measures and use robust assessment frameworks to understand learner progress across listening, speaking, reading and writing. Cambridge English Qualifications, aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), provide schools with internationally recognised benchmarks to track learner development and identify areas requiring targeted support.
Cambridge English Qualifications are in-depth exams that make learning English effective and rewarding. They assess Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing skills and are aligned to the CEFR. Interviews with Cambridge spokespeople are available on request.
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